How can I prevent users from accessing "Detail View" in issue navigator

[Chuck Vanderwist]

In JIRA 6, an option was implemented to display your issues in the standard "List" view, or the new "Detail" view.

We experience lots of problems with Detail View:

* Cannot edit all fields

* Add-on custom fields with custom HTML/java don't display correctly

* Very limited screen real-estate

* Dropdown lists within the detail view cause unwanted scrolling of the browser

Detail view causes a lot of support tickets for my team due to these issues.

I realize the value of Detail view to some users, but for our users it is a nuisance.

I want to DISABLE this option completey. How can I do this?

If I can't DISABLE list view, I want to force List View each time any user opens the issue navigator.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist- · Accepted solution]

You can't, without hacking the core code in Jira.

I can't see how this is causing support issues for you, it's a simple matter of telling your users where to click to swap between views (and frankly, detail view is often useful to many users and turning it off would be a downgrade). People who have used Jira elsewhere, or bother to read the documentation will find it confusing and frustrating if you disable it or even force them to use list view.

[Chuck Vanderwist]

No acceptable answers yet. Its not a problem according to everyone, but it is a problem for me.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

The answer I've given is probably all you're going to get. There is no option to turn it off without hacking core code, and it would be a significant downgrade and cause you lots of issues when upgrading, as well as people asking where it's gone when they need it.

You've listed a set of problems with the view that you probably should be fixing yourself (e.g. custom fields with html - correct the html so they work, or remove it)

[Roger Jacques]

It's maddening to constantly have to switch back to List View. It's almost as if the default is reset by the last user to visit the issue screen. Every single time I log in I get the detail view, and have to switch back to list view. It's an utterly maddening user experience.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

It's remembering what you last did, which is how most people work. It doesn't work for me personally, and it sounds like you see the same as me. But it works for the overwhelming majority of other users, so it's a good way to do it.

[Roger Jacques]

I only ever set it to list. About half the time I find it on detail, and I never put it there. This is a very poor UX that can be fixed by allowing a default on a per user basis, or, at least by Jira remembering each user's last choice.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

I personally am 50/50 about it, I don't prefer one over the other as a starting view. Most of my users (and presumably, the people the Atlassian UX people have interviewed) prefer it this way.

[Roger Jacques]

Since my last writing, I have switched from detail to list 26 times. I counted. 26. I have *never* switched to detail view. This is a BUG, not a feature. For whatever reason, JIRA Cloud changes my user experience from list view to detail view, with no input from me at all. Bug.

[Roger Jacques]

And, no one else is using my login, in case you are wondering.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Mmm, well, I haven't needed to switch so I don't know if it's just affecting you or all users.  Forgetting the setting might be a "on upgrade/reboot" thing at a guess. 

Have you raised it with https://support.atlassian.com ?  They can confirm if it's a bug, a design decision or something you're doing.

[Roger Jacques]

https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/JRA-60030

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Thanks!

/me clicks on vote

[MartinL]

How do you hack the code to disable "detailed view"?
OR
Is there a name for this plugin, hence is it possible to disable it in "dark features"? 

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

You can't disable it without killing off the entire issue navigator.  For the coding, you will need to get the JIRA source code, find the part that implements the two views and remove either the button to swap it or the entire view, recompile it and apply it (rendering your system unsupported and a nightmare to upgrade)

Also, it's a really silly thing to do.  People like it, people use it, and just because you don't like it doesn't mean you should disable it and remove something people do like.  This is really simple -  if you don't like it, don't use it.  I hate celeriac.  In what world is it valid for me to force my supermarket to stop selling it?

There is no problem with the view itself.

There IS a problem for some users where they choose the view they prefer, and then that choice is lost at some point. @Roger Jacques is spot on with that and having the issue resolved when it has not been fixed is wrong.

[MartinL]

I agree with you and i understand your point.

When it comes to the discussion wether what solution is best for whom, this is truly subjective and doesent have a right/wrong answer.

The technical difference/view of detailed and listed view is huge if you look at one simple thing, The Columns.
If you start out with the standard Detailed view in Issue Navigator (not talking about the agile board detailed view some seem to mix) then you get stuck inte the "Sort by" options and dont really get to the point at looking over to the right of the tiny semi-hambuger-button that gets you the detailed view.

IF a user started with the list view, it would directly be a column based list that is very similar to a standard result GUI when it comes to making searches (yes, everybody is programmed with Google list results view)

IF we could lover the first step for low tech users that gets in to JIRA (As Atlassian also is pushing JIRA to ALL the teams and not just techy software teams) then this would be a win i think.

I found under Addons > System > Atlassian JIRA - Plugins - Global Issue Navigator > "switch.search.layouts" and "splitview.orderby"
Those two cant be inactivated, and i wonder if those would do the job (with the risk if getting all new users not even beeing able to switch)

So, getting the list view to become the standard instead if detailed view, i think is a win for people lots of new users.

Maybe i need to learn to write a add-on because nobody have hacked this? =)  

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Actually, they added the detail view because users told them it was a better starting point than the list view.  For myself, I can't judge it because I've been using it for too long, but a lot of the people I work with prefer it as the start point for new users.

Anyway, yes, I think an add-on could swap or even disable it (although, as discussed, I'd recommend not removing it, especially when users come from other JIRA shops and will start asking you where it's gone because they like it)

[MartinL]

Ok!
Thanks for you input =)

[Valerie Boudreau]

I finally understand that our complaint is different. Ours isn't about seeing a list or details at the start of a session. It's about being on a Kanban board, clicking on an issue, and having the narrow, right side of the screen, view of the ticket come up instead of the full view of the ticket, every time. How do we get that to stop? We don't use that little issue view; we have to click through it every time. Very annoying. Is there a way to not have to pass through that to get to the full ticket?  

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Ahm I see, it's the details on the boards for you.  Again, most people like that view, and the complaints you see about it are about it not being customisable enough, not about the idea.

If you want the full view, you can use right-click -> open in new window on the issue key on the card.  I'd be tempted to say that the link should take you to the full view (and clicking on the rest of the card should still give you the detail view), but the problem is that takes the user out of the board, which defeats the point of having working boards.

[Valerie Boudreau]

There are a million complaints about Detail View on here. It's a pain. Just take me to the full issue view without the extra hop through Detail View. 

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Most of us find it useful.  But I suspect everyone wants JIRA to remember whether we were using list or detail view (so if your users never use it, it'll remember list view for them) and that's what rjakes' issue has been raised for - it's not persisting for a lot of people.

[Roger Jacques]

I only ever set it to list. About half the time I find it on detail, and I never put it there.